No part of Google Terms and Conditions are being violated. Google Maps is readily available to any Android device and BlackBerry has Android on it.

False. BlackBerry does not "have Android on it." BB10 devices have an Android runtime, not Android. Android is an OS that is tied into Google Services. The Android runtime is only a part of that OS, modified and built into BB10 to enable them to run Android apps that have been ported to BB World. BlackBerry can modify and use that runtime because Android is open source. The apps in Google Play are not, in general, open source.

When you buy/download an Android app from BB World, it doesn't appear in your Google Play account, if you even have such an account. If you download from any actual Android device, it would appear. BB10 phones are not Android devices.

As Kris said, sideloaded apps are both modified and distributed in ways that are outside the terms of service, and are therefore in violation of those terms. That's illegal, whether Google chooses to prosecute or not.

I use two sideloaded apps, but I've notified the developers that I'm doing it, giving them an opportunity to tell me to stop. I don't pretend that this makes my sideloading legal, but at least I give the copyright owner ample opportunity to respond.

I never really think of something as 'illegal' unless a court that has jurisdiction over me settles a case saying its 'illegal'. Until then its all whatever, whatever, whatever..... This all sounds like when Mp3 files started causing a big stink. I'm always going to think if someone gives me something that I have no personal knowledge was stolen I'm going to use it. With the vinyl albums I copied them to cassette tape and then to mp3 and I recorded television podcast to VHS tape. My understanding is the US Supreme Court said I could tape the TV shows and I could make copies of my music. So I'm going to make copies of and use the free to obtain Android apps until a court tells me I can't. As far whom gets paid for the work of producing the apps that is not my concern They the app producer is responsible for finding a way to monetizing their work up front. Cuz everyone should expect the Chinese to find a way to steal it once it's out in the wild anyway.

That all said I feel bad for the folks working hard to make cool apps. I buy them when I find them and happy to do so Whomever started the "free apps" trend was kinda stupid in MHO, that's no way to run a business, on the backs of hard working app developers. Google is evil, to bad they make some good stuff. LOL I try not to use them if I can help it.

Oh, and the stupid terms of service things Never read them, to my mind they are like the stupid non-compete clauses I have seen. Tons of them are not enforceable.

I never really think of something as 'illegal' unless a court that has jurisdiction over me settles a case saying its 'illegal'. Until then its all whatever, whatever, whatever..... This all sounds like when Mp3 files started causing a big stink. I'm always going to think if someone gives me something that I have no personal knowledge was stolen I'm going to use it. With the vinyl albums I copied them to cassette tape and then to mp3 and I recorded television podcast to VHS tape. My understanding is the US Supreme Court said I could tape the TV shows and I could make copies of my music. So I'm going to make copies of and use the free to obtain Android apps until a court tells me I can't. As far whom gets paid for the work of producing the apps that is not my concern They the app producer is responsible for finding a way to monetizing their work up front. Cuz everyone should expect the Chinese to find a way to steal it once it's out in the wild anyway.

That all said I feel bad for the folks working hard to make cool apps. I buy them when I find them and happy to do so Whomever started the "free apps" trend was kinda stupid in MHO, that's no way to run a business, on the backs of hard working app developers. Google is evil, to bad they make some good stuff. LOL I try not to use them if I can help it.

Oh, and the stupid terms of service things Never read them, to my mind they are like the stupid non-compete clauses I have seen. Tons of them are not enforceable.

No offense, but that is a horrible way to approach this. You're saying that unless someone sued you, it's legal? That's like saying a murder is legal as long as the cops don't charge you.

It's still illegal and I still can't believe BlackBerry's allowing this to continue. No matter how you look at it, it's piracy. Just because 90% of people don't get sued for illegally downloading music online doesn't make it legal. You only have to get sued once.

My whole point is: If people want native apps then they should support when GOOD native apps are AVAILABLE! This is not the case where there are no good apps on BB World and someone has found a way to side-load an Android app... that's all.

I'm done with this discussion and if I see this trend continue then personally I don't feel like making native BlackBerry apps. I'd much rather make one Android app, have it on both Google Play and on BlackBerry World by porting it and make $ from two app stores.

EDIT: And the funny thing is, I'll probably follow BlackBerry native interface and UI guidelines and make an Android app! :P You'll just have a ported version of an Android app that is made to imitate BB10 UI! O_o

I took a trip to Western Europe and visited four countries. I would look up my next hotel and Google Maps would give me door to door directions to an address in another country. Walk to this stop, take streetcar, get off at HBF, take platform 11, take train cross border, get off and take bus, walk to hotel.

Before arriving in a city, I would download the offline map using the hotel wifi. Together with the free TripAdvisor for the city, I no longer have any need for city maps or guides. Bell or whistle?

It let me find and navigate bike trails near my area which I now use constantly for fitness and leisure. Bell or whistle?

When I plan out complicated routes using GMaps on the desktop, I can save it and retrieve it locally on the phone. When I search for an address on the desktop browser, there will be a navigation card on the phone which I can use without having to re-type or search of the address again.

The phone tells me if there will be a traffic related delays on my way to work or back home. This has saved me a lot of time and frustration.

is there any way, how to configure app, to change navigation language?

on android this is done by setting phone language by system configuration; is there any similar settings for android player in bb?

Yes, there is a way.

Disclaimer: Use this appliation at your own risk. Be careful, you could do some serious harm if you don't know what you are doing.

-open up BlackBerry World app
-search for "ghost commander" and download it, it's free
-open Ghost Commander app, it will probably default to the directory "/mnt/sdcard"
-click on the 3 vertical dots on the bottom right corner, a menu will appear
-click on "location" and choose "Home"
-click "Applications"
-long press on "Settings: com.android.settings" until a pop-up menu appears
-choose: Launch "Settings"
-the android settings menu will appear, scroll down to "Languages & Input" and tap on it
-tap on "Language" and choose your language.

No offense, but that is a horrible way to approach this. You're saying that unless someone sued you, it's legal? That's like saying a murder is legal as long as the cops don't charge you.

It's still illegal and I still can't believe BlackBerry's allowing this to continue. No matter how you look at it, it's piracy. Just because 90% of people don't get sued for illegally downloading music online doesn't make it legal. You only have to get sued once.

My whole point is: If people want native apps then they should support when GOOD native apps are AVAILABLE! This is not the case where there are no good apps on BB World and someone has found a way to side-load an Android app... that's all.

I'm done with this discussion and if I see this trend continue then personally I don't feel like making native BlackBerry apps. I'd much rather make one Android app, have it on both Google Play and on BlackBerry World by porting it and make $ from two app stores.

EDIT: And the funny thing is, I'll probably follow BlackBerry native interface and UI guidelines and make an Android app! :P You'll just have a ported version of an Android app that is made to imitate BB10 UI! O_o

You misunderstood me, or more to the point I did not make my points clear.

1. If something is given to me or I buy it then I will use it.

I'm going to play my vinyl records, cassette tapes and VHS tapes. They are mine to do so with. I will make copies of them. I will make copies in any format I chose and will use those copies on any and all devices I own.

My understanding is that the US Supreme Court ruled I may do some so.

Giving me a free application and then telling how I can use it and what device just seems like your going to be on the losing side.

My understanding of murder is that the jurisdiction I live in the courts have I believe upheld the murder statues. So yes I recognize that murder is illegal and no I don't do it and wait to be sued.

As note in the jurisdiction I live in it is illegal for a woman to be on top in sexual positions.

I have purchased the Be Maps Pro, and it does work as described. I have also sideloaded the Google Maps for the simple reason some of the android apps I have downloaded out of BlackBerry World run smoother in conjunction with Google maps. A couple examples are Poynt and c:geo.

There are few things more entertaining than watching a debate over extremely technical and fluid legal issues on a forum aimed at smartphone enthusiasts.

Well, I guess that depends on one's perspective.

Because its so completely beyond me to comprehend I look at it all in terms I can relate to.

Free app- I use it as I wish- don't understand how once something is freely given away why the giver thinks they should have control over it. I know it is more complicated but tech moves way to fast. Some of my thoughts is when the tech world comes to a consensus with the laywers they can let me know until then leave me be. Lol

Just for fun I'm reading about fair use. Um, not gonna understand that. Could easily run into trouble with that. I'll just pick the parts I like. Lol

Israel has an interesting take on fair use. Yep I'm researching apps and OSes and reporting what I find as news on CB. I'm covered! Lmao. I have a common Jewish name so I'll go with that law.

False. BlackBerry does not "have Android on it." BB10 devices have an Android runtime, not Android. Android is an OS that is tied into Google Services. The Android runtime is only a part of that OS, modified and built into BB10 to enable them to run Android apps that have been ported to BB World. BlackBerry can modify and use that runtime because Android is open source. The apps in Google Play are not, in general, open source.

When you buy/download an Android app from BB World, it doesn't appear in your Google Play account, if you even have such an account. If you download from any actual Android device, it would appear. BB10 phones are not Android devices.

As Kris said, sideloaded apps are both modified and distributed in ways that are outside the terms of service, and are therefore in violation of those terms. That's illegal, whether Google chooses to prosecute or not.

I use two sideloaded apps, but I've notified the developers that I'm doing it, giving them an opportunity to tell me to stop. I don't pretend that this makes my sideloading legal, but at least I give the copyright owner ample opportunity to respond.

Not to pick on you but I was told I was crazy for my views on free apps and using them on a BlackBerry and viewing laws my own way.

If you read my other posts you may get my point.

Your using them but saying it us ok because you told the developer and they didn't say not to even tho you say you know you shouldn't use them. Your giving them a chance.

Interesting take on abiding to a law.

Wondering if I can use that argument next time I want knock over a brinks truck. I'll write brinks a letter telling them I'm planning a hit on a truck give them a chance to tell me not to. Lol

Because its so completely beyond me to comprehend I look at it all in terms I can relate to.

Free app- I use it as I wish- don't understand how once something is freely given away why the giver thinks they should have control over it. I know it is more complicated but tech moves way to fast. Some of my thoughts is when the tech world comes to a consensus with the laywers they can let me know until then leave me be. Lol

Just for fun I'm reading about fair use. Um, not gonna understand that. Could easily run into trouble with that. I'll just pick the parts I like. Lol

Israel has an interesting take on fair use. Yep I'm researching apps and OSes and reporting what I find as news on CB. I'm covered! Lmao. I have a common Jewish name so I'll go with that law.

Posted via CB10

My comment probably came off as flip and dismissive, and there was a tinge of that as I was looking over all the wildly-divergent interpretations of these issues. But I did not intend to discount anyone's difficulty in understanding what factors are at play here. I studied intellectual property issues very intently during my formal studies, and it is an intensely focused area...arcane is one of the better words to describe some of the principles. Toss in the exponentially-complicating factor of the speed of change in technology and you might have better odds in a casino.

Maps pro has old satellite images but so does the Google app. Odd thing is the roads are shown different in each. Google has a big circle at the helicopter pad and Maps Pro just has the label at the dead end road.